A Father's Thoughts
by yuki san1
Summary: He has thought really hard not to kill the younger man. Really. He couldn't help but notice her sad eyes. He'd promise to make her happy, and a father never breaks his promises.


A Father's thoughts…

It was really surprising, how one thing could make or break a single strong person. It was unreasonable, unexplainable. He cared about Pan so much, he didn't get a good nights sleep even though he had work early in the morning. Infact, he loved Pan with every fiber in his grown adult body.

And then she had fallen for _him_.

One thing Gohan didn't like waswhen his little girl got hurt, and especially if _he_ had been the cause for his daughters tears. Out of all the people that she could even remotely feel love for, why did it have to be _Trunks_?

Gohan had watched as the son of Vegeta quietly tears out his Pan's heart piece by piece. It had all started when she had went up in space instead of his younger brother, Goten. That's where his evil seed had been planted in her brain, warping her into some twisted confused girl who was in her room now, all alone and hurt.

And he couldn't stop it.

Pan hadn't said anything to him since she had walked straight through that door, not a word. But it wasn't as if he couldn't guess what was wrong, he could tell that Trunks had said or done something to her, only _he_ had this kind of effect on her.

No one else could damage his little baby.

Infact, he bet that no one else would even _dare_ mess with his Pan, the only daughter that Videl had given him. His legacy, his baby girl, and he loved her more than anything. He'd do whatever it was possible to make her feel better.

What scared him most was not that Trunks had hurt her, but by Dende if he ever did again… what scared Gohan was that he wasn't entirely sure if Pan could recover from his intentional or unintentional pain. Gohan knew there was a breaking point, he knew only too well.

He just prayed with all his might that she couldn't be broken. He'd taught her to be strong, but even the most highly of preparation could only save someone from something for so long.

Gohan knew how things would turn out, and he couldn't even see into the future. Whatever Trunks had done wrong to Pan he would undoubtedly apologize, and she would forgive him. But that would only work to a degree, everything that he'd done Pan has pent up inside her small frail body, and even the strongest, stealthiest persons would eventually crumble into nothing.

He did NOT want that to become of his only child. Gohan would not let that happen, _ever_. When he married Videl, he had promised nothing but happiness on her and all the offspring that she could give him. And Gohan was very honest when he declared that at the wedding altar.

Son Gohan did _not_ break his promises.

He sighed and got up from his little desk from in the family room, which Gohan noted had been left pretty empty since this whole thing had started. He scanned the room briefly, over the couch and to the small tea table that ChiChi had given him as one of his wedding gifts, and everything was neat and in order. Like always.

Gohan remembered just like it had been only a few hours ago when Videl and him had come home from the hospital carrying a small crying infant. They stayed up all hours of the night before Pan would go to sleep, when she took her first steps then fell down and she had crawled her little self towards him. The first solid food that she had eaten was flavored rice, his mother's specialty. And what a mess she had made, it had taken forever to clean the floor and to wash their baby's body from the sticky rice.

It brought a few lonely tears to his eyes and he let them fall with pride swelling in his heart. A smile crept upon his face before he even realized it, those were good times he decided.

But where had that happiness that had shone in Pan's eyes when she brought home her first drawing of their house and with their family in front of the yard? The bright shine had dwindled through the years, until her eyes were nothing but dull voids with nothing to live for.

A frown showed in his face, and that was how Pan opened the door when she heard him knock.

Pan's hair had been pulled back, hiding under her orange bandanna that left a few stray hairs fall out of place, framing the sides of her face. Large circles hung underneath her eyes as though they had been engraved their since birth. Her skin tone had paled slightly, giving her a gray look on some parts of her visible body. She looked like a barely alive being. As if she had no purpose in life, and damn himself if he couldn't prove her wrong.

"D…Dad!" Pan flung herself into her father's arms, and could easily feel the wetness from her tears on his chest.

He quickly but gently placed his arms around his beloved hurt daughter, she was way too thin. Gohan was scared, frightened for his baby.

"What happened Pan, will you tell me what's been bothering you so?" Gohan whispered into her hair and inhaled her sent. She smelled nice, how could Trunks not notice this? He'd have to seriously injure the boy the next time he saw him.

"Dad… It was awful! F-First I finally found th-the cour-rage to tell Trunks how I-I feel and then… t-then…" She trailed off tears springing from her eyes and she couldn't help them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop crying, couldn't stop thinking about him.

"He told me he w-was getting married to Mar-Mar-Marron!"

A fresh wave of tears poured out of her eyes like a waterfall, only it didn't give him a pleasant feeling to watch it happen. Gohan brought up his hand from her waist and gently brought his hand up to his daughter's face and wiped the wetness from her face.

Gohan watched as she closed her eyes, and then reopened them to stare back at her father. He saw a spark of life in there, a happiness that was being weighed down by depression.

Gohan pressed her to him and rubbed her back in small circles, knowing the gesture was soothing.

"Sssh… It's ok Panny, I'm here. It's ok, just let it all out. I'm here for you." Gohan whispered softly to her and he knew that she heard.

When she was had let out all there was to be, she removed himself from his warm embrace.

"T-Thank you so much dad. I thought you'd be m-mad at m-me."

Gohan felt a warm smile cross over his features, "I'm not mad Pan. There's nothing you could have ever done to make me angry with you." He assured her with a light kiss on her forehead.

"Not even when I shaved the cat and dyed him hot pink?" She sniffled, it was obvious she was getting over what had her just a moment ago. She was fighting her depression.

"That was you!" He let out a roar, "I blamed that on Goten three years ago!" Gohan bellowed, pretending to be angry then laughed heavily and was soon joined in by Pan.

"Well… it was… HIS…idea!" Pan tried to explain between her laughing fit, but failed miserably.

"Why that brother of mine! Making an innocent little girl do something so…the next time I see him…"

They both knew that his threat was empty, but it was really amusing to think about. But while Gohan and Pan were laughing, he knew that'd they'd have to deal with the issue on Trunks sooner or later. But not right now, he'd gotten her eyes to shine again. He'd never destroy that by bringing up that boxer boy's name.

He promised to see Pan happy.

And a father _never _breaks his word to his daughter.

(AN: I know you love me baby! LOL, I was just kidding. Sorry if this was out of the blue! The title made it's way into my brain and it would leave! I couldn't read ANYTHING I wanted to until I had written this. No other chapters to this. Hoped you guys liked it, please review!


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